The Human Brain Operates on the same Strength of Power as a 10 Watt Lightbulb

The first of our human body facts tells us about the brain. Remember when you watched cartoons as a child and one of the characters suddenly had a flash of inspiration and a lightbulb appeared over their head? That’s not terribly far off the mark! Apparently, our brains produce as much energy as a 10 watt lightbulb – and this includes at night time, when we’re at rest and sleeping.

Facial Hair Is the Fastest Growing Hair on the Human Body

Human body parts

We’re all familiar with the phrase 5 o’clock shadow, to refer to how quickly a man’s beard grows during the day. But facial hair actually does grow fast – much quicker than the hair on your head. If a man, with normal beard growth, was to stop shaving for the rest of his life, his beard would grow to a whopping 30 feet (which is roughly the same size, or just larger than, a killer whale!).

Your Stomach Acid Could Dissolve Metal!

This isn’t something anyone should try at home, but the next of our interesting human body facts tells us all about the type of acid we have in our stomach. Anyone who has ever suffered from indigestion will know how painful the reflux can be, and that is because the acid in our stomach is very strong. In fact, it is actually hydrochloric acid – which can dissolve metal items, even razorblades. Due to the strength of the acid we have in our stomach, we naturally replace the lining of our intestines every three to four days.

The Human Heart Could Squirt Blood to a Distance of 30 feet if It Needed to

Another one of the fascinating human body facts shows us just how powerful the heart is. There are certain times when you are more aware of the strength of your heartbeat, particularly if you’re stressed or scared, but there is actually enough pressure in the ventricles of the heart to squirt blood as far as 30 feet in distance.

Humans Can Survive without Food but Not Sleep

Sleep Times by Age and Sex

Well, to a point, of course. Another one of our fascinating human body facts tells us that the body may be able to survive without solid food for up to two months (so long as there is adequate fluid intake). This, of course, does depend on the amount of body fat you have. However, the body will start to shut down and not be able to function properly after only a few totally sleepless nights. The longest reported time that anyone has gone without sleep was 11 days; however, by the end of this period, the subject was incoherent, hallucinating and in a very poor medical state. This is not to be recommended. Another reason to get your eight hours a night.

We All Have One Lung Larger Than the Other

Typically, our left lung is smaller – this is because it has to make room for the heart. However, it isn’t so small as to make a discernable difference as to how the body operates or how we feel. Our heart is more or less central in the chest cavity, but off to the left slightly, so the lung on that side has to be slightly smaller in order to accommodate it properly!

Our Livers Have as Many as 500 Different Functions

The liver provides the next one of our essential human body facts. Not many of us pay any attention to this organ until something goes wrong with it! However, the liver is the organ that performs the most functions in the human body. Amongst other things, it is responsible for detoxification, synthesis of proteins, production of plasma, bile production and also dealing with red blood cells. It is also the only organ within the body that can adapt and regenerate itself.

Nails and Hair Don’t Grow After We Die

This is something of an urban myth. Once we die, we don’t have the ability to keep growing our hair and nails. It just appears that way. What actually tends to happen is that in the immediate aftermath of death, we lose fluids from our body, and the skin around our hairline and nails recedes slightly, making it look like they’ve actually continued to grow!

We Are 0.4 Inches Shorter in the Evening than We Were in the Morning!

Strange but true. This is because the simple acts of standing, sitting, walking and generally moving around during the day mean our joints and cartilage compress slightly. By the time we settle to rest in the evening, we’re actually smaller than we were when we got up – but it’s not noticeable enough to make a difference to how people see us!

The Feet Contain a Quarter of all Bones in the Human Body

There are around 270 bones in the human body. Of this number, a whopping 52 are found in the feet alone! That’s an astonishing number for such a small body part. Even more reason to take good care of your feet!

Brain has the Capability to Hold 5 Times More Information than the Encyclopedia Britannica

One of the most astonishing human body facts surrounds the brain. There is disagreement over the exact capacity of the brain in terms of how many facts it can store. However, what most scientists and professionals can agree on is that the brain can hold as much as 1000 terabytes of information. We can put this into context in the following way: If you visited the UK’s National Archive (a repository which holds around 1000 years’ worth of historical documents), their entire catalogue, if computed, would only equate to 70 terabytes. That means the brain can hold a phenomenal amount of knowledge!

You Could Lose Most of your Internal Organs and Survive!

Another truly astonishing fact is that you could, in theory, lose a great portion of your internal organs and survive. You might end up not feeling terribly well, but doctors agree that you could live without 80% of your intestines and 75% of your liver. In addition, you could live with just one kidney, and could manage with one functioning lung. Despite how fragile the human body appears at times, this proves just how strong it can be when it needs to!

Our Sneezes Can Reach a Speed of 100 miles Per Hour

A further one of the fascinating human body facts relates to our noses! Many people wonder why we close our eyes when we sneeze – it’s involuntary and, no matter how hard we try, we can’t stop it from happening. The reason for this is that the average velocity of a sneeze is in excess of 100 miles per hour, which is super-fast. Not only do we close our eyes, but we should also cover our mouths and noses if we feel a sneeze coming. If a sneeze can come out so fast, think about all the germs that could spread at that speed when we have a cold. Yuk!

You Might Be More Likely to Have a Heart Attack on a Monday than Any Other Day of the Week

Heart Attack Death Rates in US

Researchers based in Scotland found that, on average, you are 20% more likely to have a heart attack on a Monday than any other day of the week. Researchers believe the reason for this is a combination of people having fun over the weekend (perhaps indulging in too much food and drink) mixed with the sudden stress of having to get back into a routine early on a Monday morning. That’s just another reason to loathe the start of the working week!

A Human Head is Still Technically “Alive” for 20 Seconds After Being Cut Off

How many of us have read stories from history books concerning grisly executions? Think about famous people from times gone by who had their heads cut off – perhaps Henry VIII’s second wife Anne Boleyn or Mary, Queen of Scots. Both were executed by swordsmen, and it is reported than the latter’s lips still moved for a good time after she was killed. It is now believed that decapitation does not mean instant death, and that the head and other body parts can remain “alive” for up to 20 seconds after they have been cut off.

Every Single Minute of the Day, We Lose 300 Million Cells!

This is our final one of the human body facts, and a really interesting one to end on. However, it really isn’t anything to worry about. On average, each human body has between 10 and 50 trillion cells in it – so the odd 300 million doesn’t make much of a difference! You’re more likely to lose more cells if you’re a heavy smoker or a drinker, so it’s worth trying to stay as healthy as possible for as long as you can.

Human Body Facts – Facts about the Human Body Summary

Fun facts about the human body tell us that the brain gives out as much power as a 10 watt lightbulb but can actually hold 1000 terabytes of knowledge. Our nails and hair don’t continue to grow after we die. Our hearts can squirt blood to a distance of 30 feet – and our sneezes are as fast as 100 miles per hour. On average, we are 0.4 inches smaller when we go to bed than when we get up.